20 killed in bus-train collision in Chachoengsao province
Photo from archive (PICHAYANON PAIROJANA / Shutterstock.com)
A tour bus collided with a train in Chachoengsao province on Sunday killed 30 bus passengers and injured XNUMX Thais.
The collision occurred at about 08.05:50 a.m. at a level crossing near the Khlong Kwaeng Klan train station, about XNUMX kilometers east of Bangkok. The bus passengers were on their way to a temple for a ceremony to mark the end of Buddhist Lent. The injured have been taken to hospitals in Ban Pho, Phutthasothorn and Kasemrat, Muang district.
Freight train No. 852 was traveling between Laem Chabang and Hua Takhae railway stations when it hit the bus at the railway crossing in tambon Bang Toey in Muang district of Chachoensao. Witnesses said the level crossing had no barriers, but they heard the train driver honking shortly before the crash.
The bus took about 60 people from Samut Prakan province south of Bangkok to Wat Bang Pla Nak temple for the traditional tod kathin, an annual religious ceremony in which Buddhists dress the monks in new robes and make merits to mark the end of Buddhist Lent. to mark.
Fatal accidents are common in Thailand, the country's roads are among the most deadly in the world. This is mainly due to speeding, driving under the influence and weak enforcement by the police.
Source: Bangkok Post
Traffic in Thailand is an absolute disaster… I lived in the city of Chachoengsao for several months this year… it is HELL there; every time I was on the moped I felt like I was risking my life … 1 time it almost happened to me, crossing the road at a U-turn … missed by a hair from a bus … in those few months I have seen more NEEDED accidents than in 20 years in NL …
We were surprised that we had not seen a single accident in three weeks. When you stand in front of a traffic light it is teeming with mopeds that drive between the cars. Loaded with all kinds of stuff. Pickups with people in the back of the cargo area, loads sticking out on all sides. Great to see, but hold your breath. And when it is dark there are dogs lying on the still warm asphalt. That scares you.
The driver had been drinking, bad enough for the people who died.
The drivers there also take reasonable pills to stay awake
Images on Thai news show that it concerns:
1. an unguarded level crossing (which is almost standard in Thailand)
2. there are three (!) train tracks (which is quite confusing for other crossing traffic).
Whether the bus driver had already drunk (too much) at 08.05:XNUMX in the morning is not mentioned in this piece and – given the time of day – seems not very obvious.
It would be recommended that the many railway crossings be guarded. Now that the purchase of submarines is (for the time being) canceled, that money can already be used for that purpose.
However, I fear that no conclusions will be drawn from it by responsible authorities.
The fact that the purchase of the submarines (probably, despite resistance from the navy) has not yet taken place does not mean that there is money for safer infrastructure. The various defense departments receive an annual budget (bag of money) and can then do what they want. The naval defense budget stays what it is, it doesn't go back to the treasury.
The crossing in question is indeed dangerous: unguarded... no barriers, gates on wheels, man with a flag, or bell + flashing level crossing installation. Only a standard 'stop' sign, standard (yellow?) flashing lights and a few low plastic thresholds. Although purely according to the book a mistake by the driver, such a layout is asking for problems. On Khaosod you can see the images: the bus arrives and crosses slowly but without stopping, then the freight train comes from the left... the train is swept aside by the bus and then falls on its side.
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2020/10/12/drivers-negligence-led-to-bus-train-crash-killing-18/
Overview photo of the level crossing:
https://www.khaosod.co.th/special-stories/news_5098155
When the calf has drowned, the well is filled in.
It is very cheap to argue for more guarded level crossings after such a dramatic accident. There are approximately 25.000 road deaths in Thailand every year.
If that is due to speeding, should we install speed limiters on mopeds? If that's because of alcohol, should we drain the land? If that is due to fatigue, is it time for a tachograph? If it is due to the driver using a mobile phone, should the network be blocked in every car? If it is due to overdue maintenance, should there be a better inspection of the annual inspection? If it's because of the crushed U-turns, should they be rebuilt immediately?
As long as I live in Thailand, there has never been a real political discussion about road safety, not by yellow and not by red. 25.000 road deaths PER YEAR (especially young people) are politically less interesting than the dozens of deaths that have occurred during protests in the past 5 decades.